New Starwood Award Rates: 93 Decreases, 84 Increases

Unlike airline award prices, which tend to remain more-or-less stable over extended periods of time, many hotel loyalty programs make annual adjustments to the prices of free nights, moving individual hotels into higher- and lower-priced award categories to reflect, presumably, changes in room rate and demand.

Effective March 1, Starwood will make its adjustments for the year, moving 93 hotels into lower (cheaper) categories, and 84 hotels into higher (more expensive) categories.

A roster of affected hotels isn’t on Starwood’s website yet, but the company supplied me with the following list. (Advice follows the list.)

Property / Award Category Change From 2010 to 2011
Sheraton Great Wall from 3 to 2
Sheraton Tianjin Hotel from 4 to 3
Luxury Collection/Windsor Bengaluru from 5 to 4
Westin Resort Macau from 4 to 3
Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers from 5 to 4
Sheraton Hanoi Hotel from 4 to 3
Le Meridien Royal Shanghai from 5 to 4
Aloft Beijing from 2 to 1
Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort from 3 to 2
Aloft Bengaluru from 3 to 2
Aloft Chennai from 3 to 2
Luxury Collection/ITC Royal from 5 to 4
Westin Nusa Dua from 3 to 4
Sheraton On The Park from 4 to 5
Sheraton Surayaba Hotel & Towers from 1 to 2
Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers from 1 to 2
Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort from 3 to 4
Westin Langkawi from 4 to 5
Luxury Collection/ITC Mughal Agra from 2 to 3
Sheraton Noosa Resort from 4 to 5
Sheraton Rajputana Palace from 2 to 3
Sheraton Grande Walkerhill from 3 to 4
Sheraton Kobe Bay from 3 to 4
Sheraton Taipei Hotel from 3 to 4
Westin Chosun, Busan from 3 to 4
Westin Sydney from 4 to 5
Westin Melbourne from 4 to 5
Four Points by Sheraton Sydney from 3 to 4
Four Points by Sheraton Chung Ho from 1 to 2
W Seoul Walkerhill from 4 to 5
Luxury Collection/ITC Sonar Kolkata from 3 to 4
Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort from 2 to 3
St. Regis Singapore from 5 to 6
Sheraton Haikou Resort from 2 to 3
Sheraton Changsha Hotel from 2 to 3
Sheraton Urumqi Hotel from 3 to 4
Le Meridien Jakarta from 1 to 2
Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu from 1 to 2
Sheraton Wenzhou from 2 to 3
Sheraton Ningbo Hotel from 2 to 3
W Retreat Koh Samui from 6 to 7
Sheraton Zhoushan Hotel from 1 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa from 2 to 3
Sheraton Qiandao Resort from 2 to 3
Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai Vashi from 2 to 3
Westin Siray Bay from 3 to 4
Westin Sendai from 4 to 5
Sheraton Jinan from 1 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton Geelong from 2 to 4
Sheraton Deira Hotel, Dubai from 5 to 3
Le Meridien Dead Sea from 3 to 1
Le Meridien Abu Dhabi from 6 to 4
Hotel Excelsior, Naples from 6 to 5
Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel, Tbilisi from 4 to 3
Sheraton Palace Hotel, Moscow from 6 to 5
Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan from 4 to 3
Sheraton Bologna Hotel & Conference Center from 3 to 2
Sheraton Genova Hotel & Conference Center from 3 to 2
Sheraton Cairo Hotel, Towers and Casino from 4 to 3
Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel from 5 to 4
Sheraton Abu Dhabi Resort from 6 to 5
Santa Marina Resort & Villas, Mykonos from 7 to 6
Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai from 4 to 3
Sheraton Khalidiya Hotel, Abu Dhabi from 5 to 4
The Westin Valencia from 5 to 4
Le Meridien Barbarons from 5 to 4
Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi from 6 to 5
Al Sondos Suites by Le Meridien from 4 to 3
Dar Al Sondos Hotel Apartments by Le Meridien from 3 to 2
Sheraton Gambia Hotel Resort & Spa from 3 to 2
Castillo Hotel Son Vida, Mallorca from 6 to 5
Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Dubai from 4 to 3
Four Points by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai from 5 to 4
Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel from 5 to 4
Sheraton Bratislava Hotel from 4 to 3
The Westin Excelsior, Rome from 5 to 6
Hotel Gritti Palace, Venice from 6 to 7
The Park Lane Hotel, London from 4 to 5
Four Points by Sheraton Brauneck from 1 to 2
Sheraton Munich Arabellapark Hotel from 3 to 4
Sheraton Oman from 4 to 5
Sheraton Skyline Hotel London Heathrow 3 4
Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel & Conference Center from 4 to 5
Sheraton Casablanca Hotel & Towers from 3 to 4
Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel and Towers from 4 to 5
Sheraton Djibouti Hotel from 2 to 3
Sheraton Pretoria Hotel from 4 to 5
Arabella Western Cape Hotel & Spa from 3 to 4
Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nuernberg from 3 to 4
Sheraton Tirana Hotel from 3 to 4
The Westin Cape Town from 3 to 4
The Westin Leipzig from 3 to 4
Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun from 3 to 4
Le Meridien Chari from 3 to 4
Le Meridien President from 3 to 4
Le Meridien Piccadilly from 5 to 6
Arion Resort & Spa, Astir Palace, Athens from 5 to 6
The Romanos, Costa Navarino from 5 to 6
The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos from 5 to 4
The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta from 4 to 3
Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar Resort & Spa Los Cabos from 5 to 4
Sheraton Mendoza Hotel from 4 to 3
Sheraton Bogota Hotel from 3 to 4
The Westin San Luis Potosi from 2 to 3
Sheraton Guayaquil Hotel from 2 to 3
Sheraton Montevideo Hotel from 3 to 4
Four Points By Sheraton Curitiba from 3 to 4
Sheraton Barra Hotel & Suites from 4 to 5
Four Points By Sheraton Cali from 2 to 3
Four Points By Sheraton Monterrey Linda Vista from 1 to 2
Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC Hotel from 4 to 5
Aloft Dulles Airport from 4 to 2
Sheraton Norfolk Waterside from 3 to 2
Sheraton Houston Brookhollow from 3 to 2
Sheraton Gateway Hotel Los Angeles from 3 to 2
Sheraton Reston Hotel from 4 to 3
Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel from 3 to 2
Sheraton Suites Orlando Airport from 3 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Chelsea from 5 to 4
Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel from 4 to 3
Westin Tampa Bay from 4 to 3
Westin DFW Airport from 3 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown from 4 to 3
Sheraton Pleasanton Hotel from 3 to 2
Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel from 4 to 3
Le Meridien San Francisco from 5 to 4
Aloft Charleston Airport from 3 to 2
Sheraton Herndon Dulles Airport from 4 to 3
Sheraton Suites San Diego from 4 to 3
Aloft Chesapeake from 3 to 2
Le Meridien Dallas Galleria from 3 to 2
Aloft Portland from 3 to 2
Aloft Arundel Mills from 3 to 2
Sheraton Tribeca New York from 5 to 4
Four Points by Sheraton Jacksonville from 3 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton Tempe from 3 to 2
Aloft Rancho Cucamonga from 3 to 2
Westin Lake Mary from 4 to 3
Sheraton Atlanta North from 3 to 2
Westin Dulles Airport from 4 to 3
Aloft Frisco from 3 to 2
Aloft Overland Park from 3 to 2
Aloft Richmond West from 3 to 2
Aloft Phoenix Airport from 3 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton Cary from 3 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton Raleigh Durham from 3 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton Pineville from 3 to 2
Luxury Collection/The Joule from 5 to 4
Four Points by Sheraton Columbus Airport from 3 to 2
Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Northwest from 3 to 2
Aloft Bolingbrook from 3 to 2
Aloft San Antonio from 3 to 2
Aloft Harlem from 4 to 3
Four Points by Sheraton San Jose from 4 to 3
Four Points by Sheraton Oklahoma City Airport from 1 to 2
Sheraton Cavalier-Saskatoon from 3 to 4
Four Points by Sheraton Huntsville Airport from 1 to 2
Sheraton Philadelphia City from 3 to 4
Sheraton JFK Airport Hotel from 3 to 4
Sheraton Duluth Hotel from 2 to 3
Sheraton Augusta from 2 to 3
Element Arundel Mills from 3 to 4
Element Summerlin from 3 to 4
Aloft Dallas Downtown from 2 to 3
Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia Airport from 3 to 2
Sheraton Parsippany Hotel from 4 to 3
Westin Peachtree from 4 to 3
Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek from 3 to 2
W Atlanta – Perimeter from 4 to 3
W San Diego from 5 to 4
Luxury Collection/US Grant from 5 to 4
Luxury Collection/SLS Beverly Hills from 6 to 5
Sheraton Centre Toronto from 3 to 4
Westin Harbour Castle from 3 to 4
Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas from 5 to 6
Westin River Front Mountain Villas from 4 to 5
Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas from 4 to 6

Making the Best of the Changes

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Knowing in advance which hotels’ award rates will be modified, and how, gives Preferred Guest members an opportunity to make the best of the upcoming changes. Here’s how:

• Check the list for any hotels that you’ll staying at over the coming year.
• If your property isn’t on the list, book your stay whenever it’s convenient—the changes are irrelevant.
• If the free-night rate will increase after March 1, book it at the current rate before February 28.
• If the free-night rate will decrease on March 1, wait until March 1 to book it at the new lower rate.

Reader Reality Check

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This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.